I’m always glad to see another study validating my decision to severely restrict the sugars in my diet (fructose in particular). If the stuff wasn’t so damn scary it would be harder to resist!
true, but your source of carbohydrates does not have to be high in sugars to start with. actually, i am one of those weird people that if you put a piece of fruit, an artichoke, and a piece of chocolate out would be the one grabbing for the artichoke, though i would have trouble deciding between artichoke and asparagus. though brussels sprouts are great roasted with a dab of apple cider vinegar and salt. or maybe spinach, or lima beans … there are so many nice veggies out there!
Actually, there’s some evidence that a diet low in vegetables and fruits poses an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.
As to the study cited in the OP, it looks at cancer cells in tissue culture, and does not demonstrate that a diet low in high fructose corn syrup “supercharges” or promotes pancreatic cancer in the human body.
There is no “common medical nutritional wisdom that all sugars are the same”.
I don’t know of any studies in which patients with pancreatic cancer were effectively treated by low-fructose diets.
Supposedly, drinking a couple of sodas a week elevates your risk of pancreatic cancer, for whatever reason. That’s a conclusion of one particular study as far as I know.
Pancreatic cancer rates and mortality have remained stable in the U.S. over the past three decades or so, during which time I believe that HFCS has become more popular.
Make of all this what you will, but it doesn’t seem to provide a smoking gun against HFCS. at least as far as cancer promotion goes.
It’d be great if we could fight pancreatic cancer through better understanding of diet’s role, but what we eat is just one of a number of factors that affect risk of getting this disease (smoking and genetic influences are among other risk factors).
Swell. I’ve upped my fruit intake a bit because it helps keep my sweet tooth in check. I don’t gorge on pounds of the stuff, but I generally have about three pieces of fruit a day. Now I’m supposed to cut back on this? What’s left? Don’t tell me - lettuce and broiled fish.
The point was made about “supercharging” existing cancers, not increasing dispositions toward developing cancers, as I thought was made clear in my OP and my subsequent point quoted below.
If it is demonstrated that pancreatic cancers use fructose, but not glucose, to replicate you think this does not have implications that it may be wise to eliminate dietary fructose as much as possible if you have pancreatic cancer?
It’s only my (somewhat informed) opinion, but keep on eating your fruit. 3 servings per day is not a lot of fructose. I myself am a sugar-phobe and I still indulge in fresh fruits on a regular basis. They are tasty, and much better to eat them than table sugar.
A few pieces of fruit a day is not a lot of fructose. Several pieces of fruit a day are not a whole lot of fructose. According to some unreliable website I just found, a single can of Coke has about the same sugar content as four peaches, or two apples, or a whole cantaloupe. If all you eat is fruit, sure, that might lead to problems. But a healthy diet that includes substantial amounts of fruit is much better than consuming sweetened drinks – even ones with sucrose.
–Cliffy
It would be wise to find out first if the cell culture finding has relevance to the human body, before placing people on very low or no fructose diets. Do pancreatic cancers just shrug their shoulders and give up if deprived of fructose, or do they switch metabolism to other available pathways? Do we want pancreatic cancer patients to avoid fruits and other “natural” sources of fructose?
The findings in this research study are interesting and deserve more exploration. In my view, they don’t constitute compelling evidence for establishing a no/low fructose diet for pancreatic cancer patients, or for demanding the removal of HFCS from food products.
Unfortunately, pancreatic cancer (specifically, the typical pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma) doesn’t need help “supercharging” its activities - it tends to be highly aggressive and defies most chemotherapeutic and surgical treatments. I strongly suspect that even with a no-fructose diet such cancers would be able to find other means of proliferation.
It’s long been a part of cancer mythology to suggest that sugar “feeds” cancers and that it must be eliminated or drastically reduced in cancer patients. This nonsensical view ignores the fact that our bodies routinely process foods to produce simple sugars for energy use whether or not cancer is present, and avoiding sugary foods won’t stop our bodies from making sugars.
No doubt purveyors of quackery and bad science will use the preliminary results from the study cited in the OP to reinforce their “sugar is bad” message.
There’s a new analysis out on this research report (by an oncologic surgeon) who argues that the authors’ conclusions (including a statement that the government should act to reduce the use of high fructose corn syrup) are way premature.
Carrots and parsnips, for sure. Possibly sweet potatoes as well?